A casual stroll through the park

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Mike

With our mild winter, even or “easy” Thursday rides have sped up quite a bit compared to past years. Today was no exception; even with the tougher “ride through the park” option (where we “shortcut” Kings Mtn by first turning right onto Greer and then ride up through the park, emerging on Kings at the park’s entrance about a mile up the climb) we still got back pretty early (9:23 I think) and with an average speed of just over 16mph.

As usual, no rain, not too cold (didn’t see anything colder than 38) and friendly company. Kevin (son, not the pilot), Karl, Karen, Eric, Ludo, Marcus, Todd, Nigel and one or two others I’ve lost track of. Nigel’s picked up quite a bit of speed since getting his new Madone 5.1 last week; clearly I should have filled his tires with water to slow him down a bit!

Today’s video has nothing to do with this ride. A customer came into the shop earlier, asking about video shot with the Contour GPS camera he was considering buying. That’s when I realized I had a fair amount of raw unedited footage I’d not looked at since shooting it in France, and came across scenes on the Galibier, seen below. Sorry about the strange “floating” frame; I had to use the editor’s stabilizer function because the camera wasn’t mounted very well on the bike so the image was bouncing around a lot.
 

Posted in Tues/Thurs 7:45am ride | Leave a comment

Amendment to save cycling funding fails in Congress

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Mike

Amendment to save cycling funding failed. Read about it here- (in a nutshell, it’s bad, but it’s not over)

Warning: Political rant follows! But I think I can sign up people from all sides on this one.

I am saddened not just by the failure of the amendment (making sure a certain amount from the highway funding process goes to cycling infrastructure and Safe Routes to Schools) but also by the nearly-complete partisanship of the vote. Check it out. 100% of the Democrats voted for, joined by only two Republicans brave enough to go against party orders.

Don’t get me wrong; this isn’t about Republicans behaving badly. If this was an amendment for something favoring business interests being pushed by Republicans, I’m sure we would have seen nearly 100% of the Democrats lined up against it.

This needs to stop. There is no absolute right or wrong on most issues, but every single thing that comes up lately has become a litmus test of whether you’re a good Republican or good Democrat serving your party, and not whether you’re a good elected official representing your PEOPLE.

The PEOPLE are not being represented in Congress or the Senate these days. Only the polarized battleplans of the two parties. Nobody is interested in a compromise in which they come out with less than they ideally wanted. We’ve gone nuclear. Literally. But at least with nuclear weapons we understood the dangers and avoided using them, due to the believability of MAD (mutually assured destruction). Everyone loses, so don’t start. Right now, everyone is losing. The only people who might think they’re winning are those that believe that paralysis is good.  –Mike–

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My most-controversial post ever yesterday

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Mike

Who knew I’d create so much controversy with a post asking people to call their congressional representative and support cycling in the upcoming transportation bill? There’s definitely something to the oft-repeated advice that political stuff should be kept away from retail! I would like to believe that the things I asked for had such broad appeal that both sides, left & right, would not have much trouble. Especially since my customer base is presumably favorably predisposed to better infrastructure for cycling! And for the most part, my call to action was well-received. Lots of people sent emails thanking me not just for bringing the issue (Thursday’s vote in the House of Representatives that could potentially end all federal funding for pedestrian and cycling road improvements) to them but also for the clear instructions showing what they could do.

But I had one email from someone on the “left” who was very disappointed that I would ask people to support an amendment from someone (Representative Petri, Republican from Wisconsin) on the “right”, feeling that I was endorsing the person (Petri). The reality is that it’s extremely important this amendment did come from someone on the “right” since it gives cross-party appeal, something desperately needed right now! It’s very unfortunate that the needs of pedestrians and cyclists have become associated with Democrats and derided by Republicans, as a matter of obedience to their party chiefs. I am willing to work with anyone, but especially those traditionally, well, hostile is perhaps an appropriate word, to our needs.

And I received a very different email from someone at least initially offended that I was willing to mortgage his children’s future by spending money today that we don’t have. This was probably a reaction to the last couple of paragraphs in my piece, where I explained that investing in the future represents our belief in that future, and that it’s not an unusual thing to do (giving the examples of having kids and buying houses, neither of which are things that can generally be done using cash on hand but instead represent a commitment to pay on the installment plan). In retrospect, those last paragraphs didn’t need to be there, but in this case, it did start a dialog with the customer in which discussing politics became “real.” Instead of just digging in and saying this is the way it is (as is the norm in DC right now), he explained why he thinks the way he does, and I explained why I think the way I do, and there was actually significant common ground.

Will I walk this path again? Most likely. Even viewed strictly from a selfish business standpoint, there’s likely more to gain than lose (making assumptions that there is in fact some pre-selection of customers that tends to favor those more willing to tax themselves slightly, or give up something else, in favor of better cycling opportunities… this is a bicycle business after all!).  –Mike–

Posted in Advocacy & Local Issues, Personal stuff | 1 Comment

10 minutes of your time, today, could save cycling in the US

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Mike

Congress, in the next two days, may kill off virtually any expenditure having to do with making cycling a routine & safe activity, including-

Safe Routes to Schools is a program that works! More kids riding & walking to schools, less congestion.

  • Safe Routes to Schools, an amazing program that is getting kids to walk and ride to schools again, is going to be gone. And with it all hope of relief from traffic gridlock anywhere near a school in the mornings or afternoons. And this is a program that has had widespread bipartisan support.

  • Efforts to make sure new road projects accomodate motorists, pedestrians and cyclists will be set back years. This affects everyone, even motorists, as all users will continue to fight it out on poorly-designed roads and intersections. Congestion, gridlock and road rage will only get worse.

What can you do? In 10 minutes, you can make a difference.

Call your representative’s office and ask them to support Representative Petri’s amendment to restore funding to Safe Routes to Schools and Transportation Enhancements. Tell them it’s important, to you, that we invest in the future. Tell them that you’ve used a bicycle to commute, to shop, or just for fun. Let them know that, when gas gets above $4/gallon again, you’d like an alternative that’s safe and easy to do.

How do I do that?

Follow this link to find out who your Representative is and their phone number. For example, when I go to that link, it asks for my zip code (94062) and tells me my Rep is Jackie Speier. I click on her link and at the bottom of her page it gives me her phone number (both local and DC; I called the local). I call the number, speak to a staff person in her office, explain that I’m concerned about the future and that cutting all support for cycling is not something I want to see. Please support Representative Petri’s amendment. They take notes, and report to the Representative that “x” number of people called today asking that she support Representative Petri’s amendment to save funding for pedestrian & cycling projects.

That’s it. Seriously, just 10 minutes of your time. You don’t have to know any details about Representative Petri’s amendment. They don’t expect that you do. They just know that the amendment supports cycling infrastructure and that you believe in that.

My personal pitch for investing in the future-

I get that people think the country’s deficit is too big and we’re spending beyond our means. I get that we have to prioritize and make painful choices sometimes. But what I don’t get is an insistence that we only spend what we have, and cannot afford to invest in our future.

Anyone who has kids knows that’s not how the world works. If you’ve made a decision to have kids, you’ve mortgaged your future, plain & simple. Anyone who owns a house knows this isn’t how the world works. You borrow against the future, believing that the investment will pay off. These are generally intelligent decisions supported by society. Not subject to naysayers telling you that’s crazy, you don’t have the money today to support what it’s going to cost you tomorrow.

Investing in a future that helps us fight health issues, congestion & reducing our dependence on resources other countries can hold us hostage for is, I feel, worth spending 1.5% of the federal transportation budget on pedestrian & cycling needs.

Thanks-          Mike (& Steve) Jacoubowsky, Partners, Chain Reaction Bicycles

Posted in Advocacy & Local Issues, Web General | 2 Comments

It’s like Hawaii only 30 or 40 degrees cooler!

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Mike

Big big big turnout for this morning’s ride; I left the video camera at the shop so I don’t have a chance of remembering them all. But there were lots of them, all of the regulars except Kevin (the pilot) and I was a bit surprised not to see Nigel out there, since he’d just picked up one of our super-hot deal Madone 5.1s during our big sale.

The pace was leisurely… really leisurely… until just before hitting Huddart Park, where things split up. I was taking my duties at the back very seriously (somebody’s got to keep an eye on things back there) while I expected Kevin (my son, not the pilot) to handle the front-end business. As expected, he got to the top about two minutes ahead of me. Still not up to speed yet, but feeling better each day.

It’s nice to have the really cold days behind us, although it is still possible we could see some in the month ahead. Rain? Not for us, although there will supposedly be some sprinkles tomorrow morning, but that’s for someone else, since I don’t ride Wednesdays! I do suspect we’re going to see some slightly-warmer temps ahead though, since we had quite a tail wind heading towards west-side Old LaHonda.

Main excitement was provided by yours truly on the 84 descent back into Woodside, when either I hit something or just tensed up badly and had my front wheel go a bit sideways. Very unsettling, but thankfully I stayed up. Probably just a slightly-damp bit of pavement I didn’t notice.

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Riding with guys half your age

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Mike


I should know better than to ride with guys literally half (or less?) my age. But for good or bad, I feel like I have more in common with most 25 year olds than I do 55 year olds. I want to be fast, and don’t believe it’s beyond reason that I can get faster, while many 55 year olds are paying attention to AARP (American Association of Retired People) and thinking about cruises and getting senior citizen discounts at movies.

Actually, I don’t even know how old the guys I ride with are. Todd? Late 20s maybe? And Mike & Andrew? Maybe very early 20s? It’s actually a bit strange thinking I’m twice as old and then some. Besides trying to keep up with them, my main concern is to not become those older guys I rode with when I was much younger, who’d keep trying to come up with ways to put the young guys down because they had bad form or didn’t do things just right. Besides it being a way to try and make up for them (the older guys) being slow, it also had the unintended effect of backfiring on them, causing us younger guys (yes, I was young once) to really want to ride them into the ground. Which, of course, we did!

Todd, Mike & Andrew don’t try to ride me into the ground; they just let me run near 100% for as long as I can before they eventually get bored and take off. On today’s Woodside/Pescadero/Tunitas ride, our early start (7:45am) meant that it was still pretty cool out, so my breathing was pretty ragged climbing up Old LaHonda. I was OK on the moderate grades and had them waiting for me when it got steep. A pattern that repeated later in the day as it got warmer, so it’s probably not really fair blaming my 22 minute time up Old LaHonda on it being cold.

Best reason to not ride quite-so-early to the coast? Because the Pescadero Bakery doesn’t open until 10am! Fortunately, the general store/coffee shop/bar just down the street opens earlier, so I was able to buy a coke to help with the grades on Stage Road. And yes, it was beautiful out there! No clouds, hardly the slightest breeze and not much traffic.

I’d be lying to say that I was looking forward to the Tunitas Creek climb; up to that point I’d taken a few pretty short pulls at the front but didn’t feel like I had my good stuff this morning. We held together until just past the Bridge of Death (the bridge over the creek on the right, just as it starts to get steep) and then I got to watch them charge up the hill while my world was literally swaying from side to side. About 15 minutes later I caught up to Andrew (on the upper, flatter part of Tunitas) and we paced ourselves back up to Todd and Mike, who’d been soft-pedaling for a while so they didn’t finish the climb a day ahead of us.

In the end about 58 miles, just over 15mph average speed (sure seemed faster than that!), and back before noon.

Posted in Ride reports (not Tu/Th) | Leave a comment

I declare this “A Winter to Ride!”

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Mike

Pretty amazing out there this morning. 50 degrees, warm enough that most of my breathing problems were gone (still have a cold that’s been hanging on too long, but the difference in how my lungs work in 50 vs 40 degree weather is huge). I even hung with the fast guys up to the first hairpin (just over 5 minutes into the climb) before throttling back. Pretty big group despite some of the regulars not in attendance (no Karl, Karen or Eric, but we did have Todd, Kevin, Kevin, Ludo, Nigel, MikeF, Andrew and was Marcus there?).

It was so nice climbing in nearly-balmy weather, warm enough that I was slightly overdressed. Kevin (my son, not the pilot) was apparently overdressed enough that he overheated less than a mile from the top and had a seizure, very unfortunate since he was heading towards one of his best times on the climb.

I’d prefer it if it weren’t quite so wet ont he descents though. Most of the guys don’t seem to mind much, but I’m just not comfortable with my tires sliding around on the rain stripes, probably because it’s been a very, very long time since I hit the deck so I’m riding a bit too conservatively.

In the totally-absurd category, just heard Roberta Gonzalez (Channel 5 weatherperson) say that the computer models aren’t showing any rain until February 10th???!!! That’s pretty unbelievable. While it’s not likely they’ll reopen Sonora Pass, it’s quite possible Ebbets (Highway 4) and Tioga (120) may give us some interesting opportunities in the weeks ahead.

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I like contrast, yes, but not this much contrast

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Mike

I’ve often said that any day you can see your shadow is a good day. I like the sun, I don’t like gray. I like contrast, and when you can see your shadow, there’s contrast. This morning the sun was out for most of the ride, as were quite a few people. No way I’d be able to name them all but I’ll try… Karen, Karl, Marcus, Kevin, Kevin, Eric, George, Todd, Nigel, Mike… including me that’s only 11. OK, that might be right, 11 is a pretty decent size group for our ride.

It was on the climb up Kings where the contrast actually become a bit much for my tastes. The contrast between myself, admittedly weakened a bit by a cold that’s hung on for several weeks, and my son, who’s getting faster and faster. He got to the top of Kings wondering where 9 seconds went (27:08, a very good time for the middle of winter) while I got up just over two minutes later. It was less than a year ago, seriously, that we considered having Kevin start up a couple minutes earlier than the rest of the group.

Shadows & Fog. MikeF, KevinJ & Nigel rounding a corner on west-side Old LaHonda

Shadows & Fog. Shadows are a reflection of what and where you are. They’re definitive, as in, right now, everyone else is faster than me. The Fog represents a potential that may or may not be reached. I’ll get stronger and lose weight as we emerge from winter, but will it be enough? Kevin is at 182, I’m at 173. I hope to get back down to 167 like I did last season, so I have potential. But if Kevin leans out, things could really get wild. Thus a foggy future!

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One less car trip (my bike knows the way to Frys)

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Mike

Kevin pulling up to Frys Electronics in Palo Alto. It was only a matter of time before my bike found its way there.

The weather reports had been questionable; it seemed like there would be an opportunity for a quick run to the coast and back via Tunitas ahead of the storm, so Kevin and I got up early enough to give it a shot. Unfortunately, while at 11pm last night it showed the rain not hitting until noon today, at 7:30am this morning it showed it nearly upon us, with the skies confirming that we would, indeed, need to be riding our rain bikes.

Yuck. It was a great ride while it lasted; over a month since we’d last seen any rain, the longest stretch of dry weather I can remember. So instead of riding our Madones it was time to check out the rain bikes, which needed new brake pads, something I don’t have at home. No biggie; we rode down to the shop and got a bit of much-needed work done on them before heading back out onto the now-wet roads. Tunitas Creen was no longer in the cards, because I had to get back in time to pick up some hard drives at Frys. And that gave me the idea of using our bikes to avoid driving to Frys. Why not pick up the stuff via bike? Plenty of room in the rack bag for some hard drives and a copy of Windows 7, and why not walk through the place in cycling garb? The only thing I didn’t plan for was my inability to read product details without my reading glasses! Hate that.

After Frys we dropped in at Mike’s Bikes to check out how they’re doing things; now that we’ve got most of the remodel under our belt I feel a bit more secure visiting other dealers. Funny how that works. Graham, their manager, showed us around. Very nice guy; I should have asked if he’d be interested in attending the annual DC Bike Summit in March.

From there we rode home via The Loop, 48 degrees and raining and generally pretty comfortable… which caused us some amusement when, watching the 49er game later that day, the announcers were talking about the “miserable” conditions at the game… 52 degrees and raining. Wimps. :-)

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A 90-second tour of our Redwood City remodel

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Mike


A fast & furious look at our January 2nd-13th remodel in our Redwood City store. Yes, we have bravely brought our retail standards up from 1980 to 1997 or so, with help from Trek Bicycles Retail Services Division. There are some on our staff who were disappointed that I wasn’t more actively involved in the design and final layout, but too much input from me would have resulted in an extrapolation of what we already had. We needed a new look, which is beyond my expertise. I know bikes, the Retail Services guys know what a great store looks like. So I pretty much let Tim, James & Brian have a free hand in most things, including picking flooring, fixtures and walls. My primary contribution was an insistence that we have a workable mechanic area downstairs, so we could have more expertise writing up repairs and running down unusual parts (and, hopefully, fewer people calling to me for help). So far, so good!

If you’re on our email list you’ll get something early next week promoting our grand reopening (never mind that we were never actually closed during the remodel, which was quite remarkable). I’m looking at this as the Bay Area’s newest bike shop is 32 years old!

We’ve still got more to do, and a now modern-looking facility that’s worthy of better upkeep (which means more sweeping & wiping & keeping things in their place). And I’m still trying to figure out where everything is, but remarkably, the most-significant thing that got lost in the transition was a paper shredder. Might have ended up in the massive pile of old electronic stuff we’ve collected over the past 24 years at this location.

Stop by and check out the place. Same friendly and helpful people as before, but a much nicer presentation. –Mike–

Posted in Shop news | Tagged | 2 Comments